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Honeybee Propolis: Good for Bees and Good for Youby: John Dawson What's propolis? In recent years, much scientific research has gone into the amazing health-enhancing benefits of honeybee propolis, a completely natural substance which benefits the human immune system and even helps to fight cancer. The major benefit of propolis is that it is strongly antiseptic and antiviral; bees make it to seal their hives and protect them from disease. It works. Scientists claim that bees keep their hives more sterile than hospital operating theatres, because of propolis. Bees are doing something right to ensure their survival, because the energetic little creatures have been found fossilized in amber millions of years old. To make propolis, bees harvest resinous sap from selected trees, then mix the resin with other plant substances and beeswax. They line their hives with this blend, ensuring that no microbes, bacteria or viruses can infect the hive. Propolis contains a bonanza of some 180 natural compounds. These include terpenes, widely used for medicinal purposes, benzoic acid, a natural preservative, and caffeic acid, currently being studied for its anti-tumour properties. Propolis also contains flavonoids. Good things in propolis Propolis contains medicinal terpenes The medicinal benefits of terpenes have been known for centuries. Terpenes are widely found in nature. Menthol, for example, is a terpene which is isolated from various varieties of mints like spearmint and peppermint. Menthol gives topical pain relief and is also antipuretic – that is, it relieves itching. Taxol is a diterpene which is isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew; it is widely used as an anticancer drug. Propolis contains caffeic acid: a cancer fighter In tissue cultures, caffeic acid inhibits the development of human breast cancer cells, and of melanoma skin cancer cells. Many different studies have confirmed this response to caffeic acid. The medical journal, Cancer Research, has proposed that the caffeic acids in propolis could even help to prevent colon cancer, because in experiments, propolis stopped the formation of cancerous growths in rats which had been exposed to carcinogens. Much study continues to be done with caffeic acid and propolis. Propolis contains flavonoids, which are protective against heart disease and cancer Flavonoids are complex chemicals which found in fruit, tea, soy and propolis. Flavonoids are responsible for the colours of plants, and are antioxidants which protect plants from harmful free radicals. Flavonoids are a huge mix of chemicals, much more complex than vitamins. They've been studied because foods containing flavonoids are protective against illnesses like heart disease and cancer. What can propolis do for you? Propolis boosts and rejuvenates your immune system Your immune system determines the state of your health. With a strong immune system, you're fighting fit. When your immune system is compromised, by stress or by any illness, you're correspondingly less able to fight off infection, and your body ages faster because cells aren’t repaired properly. In a Polish study, a double-blind trial of propolis found that propolis stimulates the immune system. This stimulation protects against cellular deterioration, fights off harmful bacteria, and stimulates the formation of antibodies to fight disease-causing agents. Propolis boosts antibiotics, helping them to fight super bugs Propolis has been found to be effective against Staphylococcus aureus, a deadly bacteria, which is now resistant to all but one pharmaceutical antibiotic. It's estimated that up to ten per cent of all US hospital patients become infected with S. aureas, which causes surgical infections, blood poisoning, and a form of pneumonia. If you're taking an antibiotic, propolis can work synergistically with it. John and Barbara Dawson know that Goldshield Elite's Honeybee Propolis is effective. They say: "Our granddaughter, Charlotte, who is just three, takes two capsules daily and manages to fight off all the bugs which go around at nursery school. Any colds she may get she usually shrugs off within a day." Latest Cancer News:Taking Aim at Brain Cancer (Forbes) Smarter matching of drugs to patients is likely to improve on the lukewarm results seen so far with targeted cancer therapies. Hot dogs cast as villain in cancer group's ad (USA Today) A new TV commercial shows kids eating hot dogs in a school cafeteria and one little boy's haunting lament: "I was dumbfounded when the doctor told me I have late-stage colon cancer." Stress may raise breast cancer risk in young women (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Young women who experience more than one stressful life event are at greater risk of developing breast cancer, but a general feeling of happiness and optimism may help guard against the disease, Israeli researchers report. Normal Cells May Predict Cancer Virulence (HealthDay via Yahoo! News) THURSDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Characteristics of normal cells which are present long before any tumor appears may determine how virulent a particular cancer is going to be, new research suggests. Cervical cancer advances give hope to poor (Reuters via Yahoo! News) New screening tests and effective vaccines from Merck & Co and GlaxoSmithKline make tackling cervical cancer in poor countries a real possibility for the first time, researchers said on Thursday. Correction: Hot Dogs-Cancer story (AP via Yahoo! News) In an Aug. 26 story about a new TV ad linking hot dogs with cancer, The Associated Press, relying on figures provided by a nutrition adviser to the American Institute for Cancer Research, erroneously reported average risks for colon cancer and how eating hot dogs affects those risks. Karen Collins said she misstated the average adult's lifetime risk for getting colorectal cancer, which is about ... Cancer spread 'happens earlier' (BBC News) Apparently "normal" cells may carry cancer to new sites long before a tumour develops, scientists say. Cervical Cancer Rate May Fall in Poor Nations With Tests, Shots (Bloomberg.com) Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- New screening methods and immunization shots are making it possible to control the number of cervical cancer cases in developing countries for the first time, researchers said in a Vaccine medical journal report. E! Standing Up To Cancer Too (Broadcasting and Cable) Entertainment network joins ABC, CBS and NBC in broadcasting 'Stand Up To Cancer' special. Mun2, E! Step Up to ?Stand Up to Cancer? (TV Week) Mun2 and E! Entertainment Television are joining other networks in airing the charity special ?Stand Up to Cancer? on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ? Stand Up to Cancer ,? put together by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, will air live simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC and will feature appearances by several celebrities and performers in an effort to raise funds for cancer research. Correction: Hot Dogs-Cancer story - The Associated Press
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